Safety jewel-box.



R. HOPKINS.

SAFETY JEWEL BOX.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. a, 1908.

1,094,788. Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

RALPH HOPKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY JEWEL-BOX.

To all 107mm it m c'y concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH Horxms, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Jewel-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved safety box for jewels or other valuables, the object being to provide a box of this character which will automatically give an alarm when the box is lifted or otherwise tampered with. while at the same time the alarm mechanism may be easily and quickly thrown oil when it is desired to move the box from place to place.

According to the present invention I provide a safety box in which the alarm mechanism is under the control of the look, so that it may be thrown off when the box is unlocked, and placed in operative position when the box is locked.

In carrying the preferred form of my invention into eifect, I provide a bell and any suitable means for ringing it such for instance as that employed in common alarm clocks. At a suitable part of the box, preferably at the bottom I arrange an actuating member such as a button or plunger normally pressed outward by a spring, which actuating member when pressed upwardly by the weight of the box holds the alarm mechanism in its operative position. hen the box is lifted however the spring of the actuating member presses it downwardly and releases the alarm which thereupon continues to sound until its driving force is spent. Means are provided whereby when the box is once lifted and the alarm starts, the latter cannot be stopped by again placing the box upon its bottom.

The important feature of my invention is the provision of means whereby the entire mechanism may be thrown out of operation that the box may be raised and carried about in ordinary use without sounding the alarm, such means being connected with the lock of the box so that when the latter is unlocked the throw-off mechanism is automatically operated, while when the box is locked it is itself automatically moved out of operation and the alarm mechanism is hence placed in operative condition.

Hy invention includes other features of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 3, 1908.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Serial No. 414,148.

improvement which will be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated one form of my invention Figure 1 is a plan view of one end of a box provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1 on the line 2-2.

teferring to the drawings let A indicate any suitable box provided with a cover B which is hinged at one side thereof in the usual. way.

C is an alarm bell which is sounded by a clapper D mounted upon the end of a wire rod E fixed to a rocking shaft F pivoted in a suitable frame. The shaft F has mounted upon it an escapement G which is oscillated by a toothed wheel H driven by a gear I which itself is rotated by a spring J. The latter is mounted upon a shaft provided with a squared end K by means of which it may be wound by a suitable key. This alarm device is one which is commonly used in alarm clocks.

The alarm device is provided with a throw-off lever L fixed atone end to the shaft F, and oscillating with the latter when the escapement is in motion. The operation of the alarm is prevented by interposing a pin M in the path of the end N of the oscillating lever L in a manner to be described. The pin M is mounted upon a swinging lever O pivoted at its upper end to an arm P screwed or otherwise fixed to the end of the box. The lever O carries at its lower end a weight Q which normally occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 wherein its pin lies out of the path of the arm L so that the latter may oscillate freely.

At the bottom of the box is provided a plunger R which is held in its extended position shown in Fig. 2 by a spring S. When the box is placed upon a table or other surface its weight throws the plunger R upwardly so that it engages a notch T in the lower part of the weight Q if the latter is moved to the dotted line position in Fig. 2. lVhen in this position the pin M upon the lever O is held in the dotted line position of Fig. 2, thereby engaging the end N of the lever L and holds the alarm mechanism inoperative.

When the box is lifted the spring S throws the plunger R downwardly thereby releasing the weight Q which swings to the full line position of Fig. 2 moving the pin M out of engagement with the lever L and permitting the alarm to sound. By this construction when the box is once lifted and the alarm begins to sound it cannot be stopped by replacing the box upon its bottom.

in order that the box may be carried about and handled in use, I provide means whereby the entire mechanism may be thrown out of operation by the lock U, i which may be of any suitable construction. In the construction shown a rod V is connected either with the bolt or tumbler of the lock in such manner as to move (in the present construction to the right) when the lock is unlocked. The rod V is connected at its end to an arm W fixed to one end of a rock shaft X mounted in bearings along the end of the box, and provided at its other end with a litter arm Y Fig. which is adapted, when the rod V is thrown to the right to engage the pin lifl upon the lever Q. If the lever O with its weight Q. is in the -full line position of Fig. 2 these parts are moved by the litter arm Y to the dotted line position and there held by the plunger it or by the lifter arm. If the arm 0 and weight Q. are already in the dotted line position, that is to say, if the alarm mechanism is alreaoy set and the weight held by the plunger the lifter arm moves into position back of the pin M, and is held in such position ready to prevent the downward swinging of the weight when the box is lifted. iVhen the parts are in these positions the box may be carried about without any liability of the alarm sounding.

When the mechanism is to be set the cover B is closed down into position and the a box locked. By this movement the rod V is thrown to the left and shaft 1; rocked so that the lifter arm Y is swung to the right, I

weaves moving it out of position. In this condition it the box 1s hfted or tilted upwardly the alarm will sound as before described.

il hile I have described in detail one form of my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited thereto as such form is capable of variation without departing from the invention. The particular type of alarm mechanism is not essential, or the particular mode of actuating the plunger. My invention may also be applied to other devices than boxes but I have used the term box in the claim to cover this and analogoi'ls devices.

Vihat I claim is:

A safety jewel box or the like, having a lid, a lock for locking said lid in closed po sition, an alarm mechanism comprising a bell, a striker, and a motor for operating said striker, a stop arm on said motor. a weighted lever for engaging said stop-arm to prevent operation of said motor, a detent for engaging said weighted lever and holding it in unstable position, said detent being held in position to retain said weighted lever in unstable position by bearing upon an object in proximity thereto, and lock-actuated means for holding said weighted lever in unstable position, said lever when in unstable position holding said motor inoperative, said 100 :-actuated means being operable to release said weighted lever to free the motor when the lock is locked and said detent is released, said lock-actuated means holding the weighted lever positively locked when the lock is unlocked.

In witness whereot, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH HOPKINS.

Ni tnesses EUGENE V. Mittens, FRED WHITE.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U. 

